Fighting the push....

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By Speedy

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  1. Speedy

    Speedy
    Newmarket, NH

    I have been fighting the "push" the last few weeks.  Every time i tee it up with a driver, it's like automatic....  I've been tried everything to correct the issue but nothing seems to work..  I try not to think about it when standing over the ball but it doesn't work... 

    Last week i played 9 and shot a 43 with NO fairways hit....  If it wasn't for my irons (714 AP1) and putting it would've been a much higher score..   And that's the part i don't understand, irons dead str8, driver off to neverland....

    I don't play  a lot, maybe once or twice (if i'm luck) a week..  Earlier in the summer, my driver was great and now it's gone down hill...  I don't know what happened..  Thinking of making an appt. with a golf instructor...

    Anyone else have this issue and if yes what worked for you?

    any tips appreciated...

    Cheers

  2. Chris,

    I have the same problem from time to time and I just schedule a short tune up with my PGA Pro.  It is usually some minor thing such as releasing my wrist at impact or the inside path to better golf... IMHO

  3. Speedy

    Speedy
    Newmarket, NH

    Thanks Chris, appreciate the response..  I'm leaning that way and going to schedule a time to meet with a PGA Pro. 

    Thanks!

  4. Carl T

    Carl T
    Little Rock, AR

    I was told that you swing every club in the bag the same way, where you set up parallel to the target line like railroad tracks, toes on inside track and ball and club face on outside track (target line). IMO, the driver is a complete different club than all of the others. I set up with my feet aimed right (closed stance)and the club face aimed slightly right of target path and swing along my toe line with the ball teed up inline with my left toe. You have to swing up on the ball and even though your feet are aimed right of the target line the arc of your driver when it makes contact with the ball will send the ball straight and even a little draw. You have to experiment on the range to find how much right of the target line to aim. Golf is a game of opposites.
  5. James E

    James E
    Wauwatosa, WI

    Christopher,

    It is best to have a PGA professional take a look at your swing. It it better to correct any issues now while they are small.

    Given that, it might be a few issues.

    It could be an alignment issue so check that first. Maybe you are setting up right of the target. Remember the feet are parallel to the target.  

    If the ball is going straight off the driver face you may just be coming from the inside too much. (Inside out swing). Your driver face might be square at impact (resulting in no fade or draw) but the path might be too far from the inside.

    Are you "hanging back" on the driver at all? Not transferring your weight?

    How are your iron divots? Are they straight down the line?  Given you say they are straight I am guessing the path is pretty good on the irons. Your irons are not drawing a little?

    Given less spin on these new drivers and the balls that go straighter nowadays I am guessing it is a path issue or a weight transfer issue (lack thereof) which can cause a path issue.

    It is a tough call not being able to see your swing. 

    So the best thing to do is get a PGA pro to take a look at your swing. It should be a pretty easy fix at this point.

    Hope this helps. Good luck.

  6. Spudstarch

    Spudstarch
    Walnut Creek, CA

    Hi Chris,

    Whenever I have problems turning over the club face it is usually a grip pressure issue. It's something that I've become more aware of since it can be easily overlooked when I check my swing mechanics, like a kind of tunnel vision. It might not necessarily be your problem, but its something to consider.

  7. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    I couldn't figure it out w/o help of an instructor (1 lesson to find, and a 2nd one to refine the solution), but my pushes come over-swinging that results in arms ahead of body and/or turning my chest too far through the shot. Rear shoulder needs to stay behind the club face at impact, otherwise the club face is closing before impact with the resultant push (straight flight) as opposed to a hook. Although it is hard to distinguish that far off course the difference between the two.
  8. Allen L

    Allen L
    Clarington, OH

    Christopher, I was having a similar problem.  Iron play was great, driver was performing well, putting was good and then I started hitting a fade with the driver.  Then it got worse, I started hitting an evil slice.  With over 50 years of golf and naturally hitting a draw I was getting pretty disgusted with myself, it was wrecking my game.  I started changing one thing after another chasing down a solution.  So I stopped to see my pro and was crying the blues, he just kept smiling and said I'll fix that slice in 15 minutes or less.  Off to the range, laid out my alignment sticks, took a stance and at the top of the backswing he said freeze.  He had me rotate my shoulders a little and boom, busted a nice straight one.  He was about to walk away and I coaxed him to help me get back the draw, mission accomplished.  Now I'm hitting straight or with a draw as desired.  I suggest a trip to see your pro, they see things that just aren't apparent, sure beats being frustrated.

  9. James E

    James E
    Wauwatosa, WI

    Christopher,

    This is from an article by JBJr. in Golfers Digest (a book from the 1960s).

    The push has little to no side spin. The push differs from a good golf shot in only one major respect. The push has the clubhead moving from inside to outside the target line at impact. On a perfect shot, the clubhead also moves from the inside, but then continues momentarily along - rather than across - the imaginary line from ball to target.

    #1

    Problem: Aiming to right of target

    Solution: Address ball with open stance

    #2

    Problem: Failure to continue body turn through impact

    Solution: Turn left side to clear a path for the hands and arms

    #3

    Problem: Overemphasis of advice to "keep you head down"

    Solution: Allow the head to turn naturally with the follow through

    I hope this might help a little.

  10. froneputt

    froneputt
    Flower Mound, TX

    If you are pushing, it typically means the club face is slightly open at impact, and the swingpath to the ball is also open. The way to get a push draw is to close the path to the face. So instead of coming with a path straight at the ball with the face open, your swing path is slightly in to out (so that it is more closed to the open club face).

    Hop on a sim or Trackman and see the numbers on your path or take a video down the line.

  11. Gordon H

    Gordon H
    Sacramento, CA

    I can think of several things to consider, which can cause a push - club face open through the ball; weight transfer takes head forward of the ball closing the face ahead of the ball and hitting the ball with the face open; dominant hand shoulder not turning closed through the shot, leaving the face open through the ball; misalignment to the target.

    1) Despite weight transfer from the back foot to the forward foot through the shot, the head needs to stay just behind the ball.

    2) Hip turn loading torque from the top of the swing needs to be followed by shoulder turn through the shot to close the face. Have enough shoulder turn to have your dominant hand shoulder come close to, if not touching your chin on follow through.

    3) Double check your alignment prior to setting your stance and addressing the ball.

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